Love Until the End
by Velocity3127
Summary: Miami has been attacked once again by mutant alligators. Six competitors must fight to the death in a survival challenge in the Everglades. Austin and Ally are both participating. But who will survive until the end?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I've had the idea for this fic for a while, but I wasn't really sure how to start it. So here is the first chapter of my first real multi-chap in a while.**

 **This story is about a dystopian survival challenge (Hunger Games-esque), where Austin and Ally find themselves fighting to survive. Seems like it's going to be AU, unlike my other fics, so tell me what you think! Also, this is my first fic in third person, so this is really new and experimental for me!**

* * *

"And we're live! This is Jet Deely, live at the Everglades for Miami's new survival challenge. Unfortunately, mutant alligators have attacked us again and the only way to get rid of them and avoid killing of the entire population is to sacrifice five of our Miami citizens in this challenge. The six victims have been chosen, who will be lucky enough to survive? Let's welcome them now, after all, they probably won't get such a warm welcome again in their lives! In alphabetical order by last name, Val Crawford, Ally Dawson, Chuck McCoy, Austin Moon, Tilly Thompson, and Gavin Young!"

The six unfortunates walked out into the open ground in the midst of the Everglades.

There was Val, looking impassive and as neutral as ever. She stood with a haughty air, as though her life was not on the line.

Chuck was trying to look proud, standing up to his full height (which wasn't very much), but under his impenetrable facade was fear.

Tilly looked as mean as ever. She had a scowl on her face, and everyone knew that she would do everything to eliminate her opponents.

Gavin looked innocent and naive, but he too knew what was happening. He smiled, presumably trying to convince him opponents that he was no threat to them.

Ally forced a smile for the cameras, but everyone knew that she was terrified. Understandably so, for she was certainly not the physically strongest of the competitors, but there was an air to her that said that she would do her best to survive.

Austin looked the most confident. He stood at six feet tall, and it was clear that he was quite strong. Although, at first glance, he looked like he was independent, he kept sneaking furtive glances at the brunette songwriter next to him. He surely cared a lot for her.

"How this competition will work," Jet began, "is that these six competitors will be sent off into the wild, equipped with nothing but one backpack that they have brought themselves. In the swampy Everglades, there are many unforeseen dangers, most notably, the infamous leader of the mutant alligators: Big Mama! The last competitor alive wins, and will not be sacrificed to the mutant alligators! Purposely harming the other competitors is allowed, so let's see who is most vicious! That's all for the rules, so let's go to interviews!"

The six competitors walked off for their interviews.

* * *

"First up, Val Crawford! Val, how do you feel about this challenge? Your life is on the line!" Jet started.

"I'm going to win, of course! My opponents don't stand a chance against me! I'm not scared at all!" she replied, with still no sign of fear.

"Who do you think is the weakest competitor?"

"Pah! Weakest? Everyone except for me!" she scoffed.

"What do you think you're going to bring in your backpack?"

"Knives, of course! I'm not going to need anything else, I'll eliminate everyone else within the first ten minutes!"

Her arrogant air was still maintained and she showed no signs of being shaken. She truly believed in herself.

* * *

"Ally Dawson, what is your approach to this challenge?"

"I-I don't know, I'm just going to try...try to survive." she replied uncertainly.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes, yes, of course...who wouldn't be?"

"Val, maybe. Next question, who do you think is the weakest competitor?"

"Uh...me, maybe."

"Not confident?"

She shook her head.

"Cheer up, maybe you'll win! But to do that, what are you bringing?"

"A sleeping bag, some knives...a piano, maybe?"

"A _piano_? That's not going to fit in a backpack!"

"A keyboard, then."

"There aren't any outlets."

"Oh."

She definitely didn't seem confident, but she was passionate about music, which may be her push to the end.

* * *

"Chuck McCoy, how are you? What is your strategy for this challenge?"

"I'm feeling confident! I'm just going to use my superior camping skills to stay away from the crocodiles, and then all the other people will be eaten!" he replied confidently, but he was shaking, as though he was afraid.

"Who do you think will be eliminated first?"

"Probably Blondie."

"Blondie?"

"The singer guy, the blond kid, kind of tall?" Chuck described.

"Austin Moon! Right, so why do you think he will be eliminated first?"

"I don't know, I just don't like him."

"Alright. What are you bringing?"

"A sleeping bag. And a tent, and some rain gear, and all the stuff I need to stay alive."

"You have no intention of going for the other competitors yourself?"

"No."

He seemed organized, but he was also afraid. He was quite like Val, but different as well.

* * *

"Austin Moon! Famous singer! Your life is on the line!"

"Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

"Not really sure, actually. I just hope...I hope that neither me nor Ally die horrific deaths."

"You're her friend?"

He nodded.

"Who do you think will die first?"

"I'm not sure...hopefully not me!" he laughed, bringing a lightness to the heavy reality of his predicament.

"What are you bringing to the competition?"

"My guitar, definitely. And a sleeping bag, and some knives, matches...survival tools!"

"You really like music, huh? Did you know Ally wanted to bring a piano?"

His expression softened immediately, bringing a childlike quality to his fierce and strong personality.

"I wouldn't be surprised." he replied. "She's my best friend. I think she would do that."

He was strong, no doubt. But also sentimental, which gave him a weakness that his competitors could prey on.

* * *

"Tilly Thompson, what's your strategy for this survival challenge?"

"I will _destroy_ that Ally Dawson. And her accomplice, that Austin character." she said harshly.

"So you think they will be eliminated first?"

"For sure. I'll do everything in my power to have them die painfully."

"Vicious. And violent. What are you bringing?"

"Knives. A lot of knives. And a tent, and maybe some spears. And a hammer."

She was vicious and heartless, but also not the most careful of people. As long as everyone else died first, she would survive.

* * *

"Gavin Young! How are you? What do you think of this challenge?"

"I'm good, and I think this challenge is horrific but unfortunately also our reality."

"Who do you think will die first?"

"Oh man, I don't really want to think about that, but probably Tilly. She seems much too imprudent to be able to win."

"Okay, and final question, what are you bringing to survive?"

"A large tent, a sleeping bag, maybe also a mattress, and lots of extra clothes."

"Nothing to try to eliminate the other competitors yourself."

"No, of course not. I always play fairly, and I would never wish harm unto another person."

"You do realize five of you will die regardless?"

"I wish I didn't."

He was empathetic and kind, and he seemed like he would be an easy target. But he might prove to be stronger than he lets out.

* * *

 **Author's note: there will definitely be more plot development in the next chapter, where the competition actually starts.**

 **This story is really different from my other ones, so constructive criticism would be appreciated greatly!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: And the competition begins!**

* * *

"And we're live! This is Jet Deely, and the competition is beginning in under a minute! All of our competitors are currently being airlifted into a random spot in the Everglades. They will start there, equipped only with their one backpack of items to survive. Big Mama and her army of mutant alligators are out there somewhere, so our victims will have to avoid them! That's all from me, let's get a live look on scene."

A loud horn sounded, signifying the start of the challenge.

All the competitors were dropped into remotely different locations. Val found herself in the middle of the forest, with nothing other than trees and swamp in sight. Chuck was knee-deep in mud. Tilly was in an area of flat ground, dry and treeless. Gavin was dropped in a bush. Ally found herself in a grassland, and Austin was in a grassy swamp.

The first competitor to react was Austin. He looked around, immediately grasped his surroundings, and turned his head to the right, careful not to lose his bearings. About a hundred feet away was a vicious-looking alligator. He shuddered, but was careful not to make a sound. No use in dying so soon.

He looked to his left, and to his delight, he saw Ally not too far away. She was crouching in a defensive position, not moving. He stealthily crept towards her, away from the alligator. To his relief, he saw the alligator move away.

"Ally!" he whispered.

She jumped, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Austin?" she whispered back. "Why...why did you come find me? Wait, please don't kill me!"

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to protect you. I'll do anything for you, I'm your friend."

She smiled gratefully. Then she frowned.

"But...but only one of us can survive. I don't want anything to happen to any of us." she said.

"Neither do I," he replied, "but for now, I'll do anything to make sure _both_ of us survive."

"What happens if we're the final two?"

"Then I'll never purposely hurt you. We'll just see who gets eaten first."

She shuddered.

"Ally, I have a question," he said. "Do you want to be...a team?"

"A team?"

"Well, we could be allies. You know, we work together."

She smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

"On one condition," he said, serious again. "You don't turn on me. I need your word that you won't turn on me."

"Austin, I would never do that." she replied sincerely. "You have my word. I promise that I will never turn on you. I'll be there until the end, Austin. Until the end."

* * *

While the singer-songwriter duo agreed on their partnership, the other singer in the competition found himself in a bit of a situation. He was stuck in a bush, which was the unfortunate location that he was dropped into. And with his keen eyes, he could see his vicious competitor Tilly Thompson a few hundred feet away. He was unable to move without causing too much noise to draw attention to himself, and he was unwilling to risk his life in this way. After all, Tilly was ruthless.

He was, however, able to reach for his backpack, and grab his smallest knife, which was in the front pocket of his backpack. It was his smallest knife, but it would do. He had no intention of killing Tilly himself, only scaring her away when he got out of the bush. He was a country singer, he was from the country! Country guys are tough, even if he seemed kind and innocent! It was now or never. Time to make his escape.

Gavin scrambled his way out of the thorny plant, and Tilly immediately turned around. She also immediately lost her bearings.

"Gavin Young!" she yelled, running towards him.

She had forgotten one thing, however. He was armed and she was not. He drew his knife, and she immediately backed away.

"Listen, Tilly." he said. "I don't want to use this knife on you, but I will if you don't back off. Now, I'm going to run into the trees that way, and if you try to follow me, I will attack you."

He sounded intimidating, but she just chuckled. She reached for her backpack, and before he could react, she had drawn a knife, a much bigger and lethal knife than his.

He could do nothing but run.

But Tilly Thompson is not someone to mess with, and she followed suit. As Gavin ran, she followed. He was very fit, though, and she soon realized that she would never catch him. So she threw her knife.

Tilly never missed. But, by some miracle, Gavin was able to dodge the knife, which went sailing into the trees. Once again, he was armed and she was not. His initial idea was to make a run for it. But then he stopped to reconsider, and hesitated. This hesitation was enough for Tilly to pull out a large, sharp spear.

She lunged forward, aiming for Gavin's chest. He instinctively held his small knife in front of him to deflect the blow, but he was still grazed by the spear. Even worse, his knife was knocked right out of his hand and was now on the ground somewhere in the shrubbery. Tilly took a step forward again, backing Gavin up into a tree.

There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to go. He was trapped, completely at the mercy of Tilly Thompson. And Tilly Thompson showed no mercy. So she pushed her spear forward once more.

* * *

"So...what did you bring?" Ally asked her teammate.

"Just some useful stuff, knives, matches, a sleeping bag. I also brought disinfectant just in case." Austin replied. "Oh, and my ukulele."

"Your ukulele?" she laughed.

"Well, I couldn't fit my guitar! Don't tell me you didn't bring an instrument, because I won't believe you." he replied.

"Fine," she sighed, "you're right. I couldn't fit my piano, so I brought a glockenspiel instead."

"Allyyy," he whined, "you always say such hard-to-pronounce words! A glockenspiel, out of all things?"

"It's kind of like a piano! It's like a mini xylophone!"

"Have you seen any of our other competitors?" Austin asked.

Ally shook her head. "That doesn't mean they're not nearby, though."

As if on cue, Jet Deely's voice rang out in the forest.

"Attention all competitors, we are down to five. Gavin Young has been...uh... _skewered_ , shall I say...by Tilly Thompson. Let us hope that none of you remaining people shall suffer the same fate."

"How awful!" Ally exclaimed.

"He didn't even make it an hour in," commented Austin.

"We should probably avoid Tilly." Ally suggested darkly.

Austin shuddered.

* * *

 **Author's note: Poor Gavin. At least he wasn't eaten by an alligator. This is still kind of an intro chapter and the next few will probably be a bit longer. I hope you like it so far, if not, please give me feedback! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: sorry it took so long to update, I was performing in a concert and we had rehearsal all weekend.**

 **This is where the real fighting begins. Have fun, everyone.**

* * *

"Ugh, I hate mud!" Chuck groaned.

He finally waded out of the mud, a little disoriented and more than a little lost.

"Where is everyone?" he wondered out loud.

Seeing no one and nothing, he decided to double-check the contents of his backpack. Sleeping bag? Check. Compact tent? Check. Rain coat? Check. Sunscreen and bug spray? Check. Life jacket? Check. He had everything. What a shame that Gavin had to be killed so early, Chuck was not even out of the swamp when Jet announced his death. Tilly was a force to be reckoned with.

As he walked in the forest, he found his mind wandering, so it was not until he was only a few feet away that he saw the giant alligator in front of him. Luckily, it was turned away from him, but he crept away quietly. As soon as he was far away enough, he let out a long breath. Not a quiet breath, though. Just loud enough for a nearby opponent to hear. And not just any opponent, the most deadly of them. Of course, it was none other than Tilly Thompson.

"Chuck McCoy!" she screamed, barreling towards him with a bloody spear.

He shuddered. It must have been the spear that was used to kill Gavin. No time to dawdle, though, because she was coming, and she was coming fast. So Chuck turned and ran for his life.

Unfortunately for him, he had run almost half a mile when he started to get tired. Although Tilly was tired, as well, there was another enemy who wasn't. It was Val. She had mostly been sharpening her knives when she saw Chuck running towards her and Tilly in close pursuit.

Val groaned. What an inconvenience these children were! So she threw her knife that she had just been sharpening, but her aim was off. It landed in the grass beside Chuck. She was briefly frightened, but noticed that Chuck had no weapons in hand and seemed to be more in defense mode than in offense mode. It was Tilly that was the real problem.

So Val ignored Chuck, who ran frantically past her, and went straight for the more intimidating enemy.

Tilly jabbed her spear forward, but Val was quick. She avoided the attack, leaving Tilly unbalanced and now on the defense. Val grabbed the shaft of the spear and cut off the tip with her sharpest knife. She threw the sharp rock out into the forest, never to be seen again. Now Val had an assortment of knives in hand, and Tilly had a wooden pole.

"Hahahahaha!" Val laughed.

"I hate it when people destroy my weapons! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" Tilly exclaimed in frustration.

All this commotion had caused Chuck to turn back around in surprise. The two fierce women fighting were quite a spectacle to see. Val seemed quite incapable of aiming her throws properly, but Tilly had no weapons and was now only trying to defend herself.

"You have weapons but you can't use them, huh?" Tilly scoffed, but there was a noticeable hint of fear in her voice.

"And you _don't_ have weapons." Val shot back.

While Val was busy insulting Tilly, Tilly herself was trying to formulate a plan in which both Val and Chuck would be eliminated. _Kill two birds with one stone,_ she thought.

Well...maybe not two birds or a stone, but kill two people with one stick. Neither Val nor Chuck noticed when Tilly's stance switched from relaxed to attacking. Without any warning, she charged forward with her wooden pole (formerly a spear), and Val was immediately hit over the head. She fell to the ground, unconscious but still alive.

Chuck immediately ran, seeing that Tilly was going for him next. Part two of the Tilly/Chuck chase was on. He literally ran for his life, with Tilly screaming and waving her pole around behind him.

They ran so far that they found themselves on the campsite of a certain musical duo. Austin and Ally had been preparing their campsite when Tilly and Chuck came running by.

"Austin!" Ally screamed.

He turned around from the fire he was building and saw his two competitors. Chuck didn't scare him, but Tilly sure did.

"Austin Moon and Ally Dawson!" Tilly screamed, still chasing Chuck.

"Hi, Tilly, what brings you here?" Austin said nonchalantly, seeing her run past.

Tilly stopped running. Chuck continued running.

Without any warning, the wooden pole was turned and aimed at Austin. Ally looked extremely frightened, but Austin stayed calm.

"Look, Tilly, you see this fire I have here, I could easily turn it on you. You don't want to attack me with a wooden pole." he said.

She ignored his comment, and charged straight for him. But she didn't think things through, because Austin was strong enough to grab the pole from her and stick it straight into the fire. Now she had no weapon in hand, and to get one from her backpack would leave Austin with enough time to attack. Ally stood in shock, and Chuck was long gone. So it was Tilly's turn to run. And she ran, far away, until Austin and Ally could no longer see her.

"Great job, Austin!" Ally said, once she caught her breath.

"Thanks," he replied, "I really thought we were goners."

His stomach rumbled. Ally giggled.

"We should probably get some food," Austin suggested.

"Where would we get any? It's not like we're going to eat alligator for dinner." she replied, but she was being serious.

"You're the smart one," Austin pointed out. "What types of animals live in the Everglades? And are there any edible plants?"

She furrowed her brow in concentration. "Well, I've heard that there are wild turkeys. Tons of fish, too. As for plants, there are tons of water lilies in the water and they are edible."

"Awesome! You're the best, Ally." he replied enthusiastically.

And they set off on their journey to find food.

* * *

Meanwhile, Val was finally conscious. She saw that all she had in her backpack were knives, and nothing to stay the night. She had anticipated that everyone would have died before the day ended, but now she knew that was not the case. She had to figure out a way to survive the night.

She had no shelter, no heat, no food, but there was plenty of water. She could try to kill some animals for food, but she did not have very good aim and she had no fire to cook meat, anyways.

So she sat on a log, deep in concentration. When she was completely silent, she could hear something in the distance. Two voices, distinctly Austin's and Ally's. They were talking about getting food. Now, there was an idea. As long as they had food, she could get food, too.

She smiled wickedly.

Val began to walk in the direction of the sound.

"Austin! I caught a fish!" Ally exclaimed.

"Great, if you can get a few more, then we have dinner!" Austin replied.

In order to get the food, Val would have to wait for it to be cooked, as she had no fire. That was fine, she could wait before she ambushed.

After a few minutes, Austin announced that the fish was cooked.

"Ahahaha!" Val yelled as she jumped out of the bush she was hiding in.

"Val!" Austin exclaimed, immediately in an attack position.

He held out a knife, the knife that he was using to cut the fish he had just cooked.

"Val, I don't know what you're doing, but I know you're up to no good." he said.

"What? No!" she replied, trying to sound innocent, but not succeeding.

"Please leave, Val." he said sternly.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" she challenged.

"Well, I have this knife that I can always use." Austin shot back. "And of course, I have this fire. Fire can be dangerous, Val."

"You kids don't know what you're doing." she replied.

"Kids? We're eighteen!" Ally exclaimed, surprising both Austin and Val.

She had been silent for the whole conversation, but it was clear now that she was not just going to stand by while Austin did all the work for the rest of the competition.

Val reached into her backpack and drew a knife. She seemed intimidating, but there were two things that neither Austin nor Ally knew. Firstly, she had horrible aim, which only Tilly and Chuck had witnessed. Secondly, that was her last knife. If she threw it, she would have absolutely nothing left.

"Val, if you don't leave, I'll make you." Austin repeated.

"What are you going to do, try to-"

She was interrupted by Ally. The previously shy and fragile songwriter picked up a flaming log from the fire and threw it at Val. Not high enough to actually hit her, just high enough to barely graze her feet before hitting the ground and extinguishing the flame. Austin stared at her in amazement. His usually meek friend was really starting to impress him with her boldness.

"Ally Dawson, trying to be daring now?" Val scoffed.

"Anyone can be daring, they just have to be reckless. I'm not reckless, I'm just smart." Ally retorted.

Val looked at her in confusion. "Is that Shakespeare or something?"

"No, I just made it up." Ally replied.

While Val was confused, Austin had managed to pin her to a tree. She looked just as Gavin had been pinned down by Tilly, but Austin was not as cruel.

"Val, look at you." he said. "If I was Tilly, you would already be dead. Not only are you bothersome, you are careless. Now, if you don't leave now, I have a knife on hand. And I have Ally the flame-thrower."

Val still had her knife, and she tried to attack Austin. Unfortunately for her, Ally came to his rescue and knocked the knife out of her hand. And now, Austin was mad.

* * *

 **Author's note: dun dun dun! As the number of competitors go down, the plot development will go up.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, if not, feedback is definitely appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: did Austin kill Val? What happened? Keep reading to find out! :)**

 **P.S. I don't own Na Na Na (The Summer Song).**

* * *

Tilly was lost in the Everglades. After having her spear destroyed by first Val and then Austin, she found herself on the defense. And she did not like it.

"I hate being defeated! I hate it, hate it, I hate it!" she growled.

From out in the distance, she heard a voice. "Tilly Thompson?"

She would recognize that voice anywhere. The voice of her kindergarten arch-nemesis, Ally Dawson. Tilly still only thought of Ally as the Butterfly Song girl. She ran towards the voice.

When Tilly arrived at the campsite of Austin and Ally, she was surprised to see Val pinned to a tree by Austin, and Ally right behind him.

"You're in trouble, Val." Austin growled.

Val squirmed, showing her first sign of vulnerability in the whole competition. It would possibly be her last.

Austin grasped his knife tightly. He didn't want to kill any of his competitors, but Val was a threat, and he was only trying to protect himself and Ally. He reached forward, ready to attack...

And the other blonde competitor came leaping in. Tilly had grabbed another knife from her backpack, and she ran forward, stabbing Val squarely in the nose. Ally screamed and Austin staggered backwards in shock. Before anyone could react, Tilly had disappeared into the woods.

Val was lying down on the ground, severely injured. Her nose was pouring blood, and she was almost unconscious.

"What just happened?" Austin asked.

"I think...Tilly saved you from having to kill Val. By doing it herself." Ally managed to say.

Austin shook his head. "This competition is so gory!"

They looked down at the dying person before them. Val was dying or dead, and it was Tilly who had caused it. Deaths caused by Tilly: 2. Deaths caused by other competitors: 0. Deaths caused by alligators: 0. Tilly seemed invincible, or just very violent.

"Attention, attention!" Jet Deely's voice rang out. "Four competitors remain. Val Crawford has been killed by Tilly Thompson. Austin Moon and Ally Dawson, be prepared for a helicopter arriving near you soon."

"A helicopter?" Ally asked.

Austin shrugged. They were answered soon enough, when a helicopter flew by and picked up the dead body of their former competitor.

"It's just us now," Austin said, as soon as the helicopter left.

"Tilly is still somewhere around here, though." Ally recalled worriedly.

"And no one knows where Chuck is." Austin said.

* * *

Chuck, in fact, was preparing his campsite. He was finally able to stop running from one thing or another, and he was alive with only three opponents to fight.

He was somehow able to pack everything that he wanted to, so he was able to set up his tent, inside of which he put his sleeping bag. With some difficulty, he was able to build a fire, and he even built a wall around his campsite with rocks that he found. He was proud, and he could only hope that Tilly would not attack him.

He was just admiring his work when he noticed that the sun was going down.

"Oh no," he said aloud. "I forgot to look for food!"

He could not risk going out in the middle of the night, so he would have to wait until the morning to eat. Not only was Tilly out there somewhere, so were unknown animals that could be waiting to eat him up!

Chuck mentally decided that he would wake up at the crack of dawn to look for food, and then he would spend the rest of the next day inside his impenetrable campsite. Well, it was impenetrable unless someone wanted to knock down all of the rocks surrounding it.

 _I'm going to be the last survivor,_ he thought.

* * *

"Austin, it's getting dark." Ally pointed out.

"But I'm not tired!" he complained.

The two were discussing what they should do. Ally thought that it was time to sleep, while Austin wanted to stay up later.

"I can play the ukulele by the campfire!" he suggested.

"This isn't camp, it's a survival challenge!" Ally countered. "And we need our sleep. If we're tired in the morning, we're going to be much weaker defending against alligators, not to mention Tilly, who has a crazy reaction time and crazy thirst for blood!"

"True," Austin admitted. "Maybe you're right. Wait, you're always right. Okay, you're right."

Ally softened a little.

"If you really want, you can play the ukulele for a little bit, but then we can sleep."

He grinned and grabbed the miniature guitar.

"I have the perfect song!" he exclaimed.

"Let's hear it, then!" Ally replied enthusiastically.

"I know a summertime vacation song, and you know wherever we go you'll be singing along."

"Like na, na na!" they sang together. "Na, na, na! Na, na, na! Na, na, na!"

Ally laughed. "But this is hardly a summer vacation!"

"Who cares?" Austin replied happily. "It's still fun!"

The musical duo continued to sing until it was completely dark outside.

"Oh no!" Austin exclaimed. "How will we see anything? Where's our stuff?"

Ally rolled her eyes.

"Austin, I come prepared! I have a flashlight, don't worry!"

He sighed in relief.

They had already set up their campsite earlier, although it didn't require much. Ally had only brought a small tent, not expecting to ally with Austin, but they decided that they would both fit.

"What if alligators attack us in the middle of the night?" Austin asked worriedly.

"Well, we're pretty far away from the water." Ally explained. "Alligators generally like to stay in and near the water, so we should be okay."

"What if there's actually an alligator?" he asked.

"Well, just wake me up. I'll do the same for you. Then we figure out how to escape." she replied.

Her response seemed to satisfy him, so they headed into the tent. It was small, and Austin was definitely tall, but they just managed to fit. As soon as they were both settled in and quiet, they started to notice the sounds of nature around them.

There was a quiet shuffling sound in the leaves in the distance.

"Ally, is that an alligator?" Austin asked with concern.

"No, it's probably a squirrel or some other small animal." she replied.

After only a few moments of silence, they heard another shuffling sound. "Is that an alligator?" Austin asked again.

"Probably still a squirrel."

Another shuffling sound.

"Is that an alligator?"

"No, that was in the trees. Probably a bird."

Another shuffling sound.

"Is that an alligator?"

"It's okay, Austin." Ally replied. "I don't think it's an alligator. If you're nervous, you can hold my hand."

"I'm scared, Ally." he admitted.

She pulled him closer to her, snuggling up. He relaxed immediately, and she smiled.

"Thanks for being my friend, Ally." he said.

"Thank _you_ , Austin." she replied. "Friends are always there for each other. That's what you do for me, so I'll do the same thing for you."

Within minutes, they were both sound asleep.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you liked it! This chapter was kind of short, and the next chapter will probably be a full day or two, so it'll probably be longer. As a result, it will probably take me a bit longer to update (also because I'm really busy with tests and essays and whatnot).**

 **Thanks for reading this far! Feedback is always appreciated:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: here is the next chapter! Thank you if you're still reading this:)**

* * *

Tilly woke up to the sound of an alligator. She turned around and saw it inches away from her face. Most people would've screamed and then probably been eaten, but she was quick and fearless. She carefully got up, grabbed her bag, and ran.

 _Alligators are slower than humans on land,_ she remembered.

But what about mutant alligators? They could probably run faster and kill a human faster than regular alligators. Luckily, Tilly was fast, and she was also running through some pretty tough terrain. She narrowly squeezed through trees and rocks, but the alligator was in close pursuit. It was having trouble catching up whenever she ran through a small path, but it didn't slow down much. Neither did Tilly. She ran all the way past a stone fort, which she later realized was Chuck's. She even ran past Austin and Ally's campsite and paid no attention to them. They were still asleep.

When she finally ran and found herself near a swamp, she knew she would have to change course. Alligators were much faster in water than humans, and land was the only possibility. So Tilly grabbed a knife and hurled it at the alligator. She had great aim, so normally this would be where the alligator died. But mutant alligators were weird in the sense that they didn't do what normal alligators would, and soon Tilly found herself faced with not one, but two alligators. Another one had appeared from the swamp.

So she ran the way she came, past Austin and Ally's campsite, and finally stopped at Chuck's campsite. She crashed her way through the stone, infinitely preferring the injuries from the rocks to the snapping jaws of the alligators.

"Tilly!" Chuck exclaimed in fear.

He had just woken up and he saw her face. His first thought was that he was going to die, but then he saw fear on her face, as well. Immediately, he noticed the alligators trying to get into his fort.

"Chuck, we're being attacked by alligators!" Tilly screamed. "I'm not here to kill you, at least not right now! Help me get them away!"

Chuck was torn. Should he help Tilly, or should he let the heartless killer die, thereby benefiting him?

* * *

Austin and Ally had just woken up at their campsite when Tilly ran past it the second time. They were vaguely aware of some screaming and running, but they couldn't worry about it.

They had both slept well, and they were energized for the day ahead of them, hoping that they would survive. Although Austin had been scared at night, he was back to his strong and unshakable self in the morning. The Moon was weaker at night, but stronger in the day. Ally, on the other hand, was worried about alligators and Tilly.

"Breakfast time!" cheered Austin.

"What food do we have?" Ally asked.

"Not pancakes, that's for sure." he laughed. "Fish from yesterday!"

"Ew! That smells awful, Austin!" Ally replied, wrinkling her nose. "We should just get new fish!"

"Okay, let's get to it!"

The duo had spent half an hour spearing and cleaning fish when they saw Tilly and Chuck. They were running after the alligators, throwing knives at them in order to kill them.

"Are Tilly and Chuck working together?" Ally asked in amazement.

"Chuck was terrified of Tilly!" Austin pointed out. "But maybe they're friends now?"

They looked at each other for a moment, then laughed.

"There is _no way_ Chuck isn't still scared of Tilly." Ally declared.

"Well, they don't matter right now," Austin said, "what matters is that you're here with me, and we're both okay."

She smiled. "That means a lot, Austin. It's good to know I have a friend that I can trust here."

He pulled her into a hug, knowing that they were best friends, and that was never going to change.

An hour later, the two had eaten their breakfast and they saw Tilly chasing Chuck far away in the forest. They had killed the alligators, and now she was back to her vicious self.

"I'm going to kill you, Chuck!" she yelled.

"Don't kill me!" he screamed as he ran. "I saved you from the alligators!"

"And that's what you get for helping the enemy!"

"Poor Chuck," Ally muttered, "he was just being kind and this is how he's being repaid."

"That's why you never help Tilly," Austin pointed out.

"Let's just stay here and try to survive the day." Ally suggested.

"Actually," he replied, standing up. "I'm going to go get Tilly."

"When? Be careful!" she exclaimed.

"Now." he replied, and without any warning, he was off.

"Austin!" she called, but he was already running off into the forest.

He had his backpack on, and he had a knife in hand. Although he had initially said that he was not going to try to harm his opponents, he knew that he had to kill Tilly before she hurt Ally. His Ally. They may have just been friends, but he realized that he would do anything for her. And, frankly, he could start to feel the romantic tension between them. But a survival challenge was not the time to start a romance, and they might as well just stay friends.

"Nothing's ever going to happen to you, Ally, not if I can help it." he muttered.

He ran a bit faster, then he could see Tilly chasing Chuck in the distance. He kept running faster, and soon he was only a few feet away from her. She didn't even notice him, being too preoccupied chasing Chuck.

As she ran after Chuck, Austin slashed his knife at her, narrowly missing. This got her attention, though, and she turned around quickly.

"Austin Moon, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"If I can eliminate you from this competition, all of us will be safer." he replied.

She laughed. "Sure, okay. I'm going to go get Chuck. Have fun chasing me!"

With that she was off again, chasing Chuck. Austin, however, followed her. Although Tilly was fast, so was he. She probably didn't know that, thinking that he was just the musician, but he was also a talented runner and athlete.

"Chuck, you'll never get away!" Tilly yelled.

Austin reached forward while he ran and tried to slash his knife at her. He only missed by an inch, so then he tried to run even faster. The second time, his knife took off a piece of fabric from her backpack. And that gave him a better idea.

He kept running, but instead of trying to stab Tilly, he reached for the flaps of her backpack. If he could get ahold of some of her knives, and take them from her, she would be less of a threat.

Taking the knives proved to be no easy feat, especially while running in the muddy forest. But Tilly was also distracted by Chuck, so she didn't notice when Austin opened the largest pocket on her backpack. He reached inside and managed to grab four knives, then quickly stuffed them in his own backpack. He grabbed two more knives and a small spear before Tilly ran too quickly for him to catch her.

He stopped running, moderately contented. Tilly had just lost six knives and a spear, no small amount of weaponry. He started walking towards his campsite. Although Ally worried that he might get lost, he remembered the way back. Within minutes, he could see their tent and fire.

"Hey Ally!" he called.

She spun around, noticing his return.

"Austin! You're okay!" she exclaimed, running to meet him with a hug.

"I managed to get some of Tilly's knives," he told her, "she was on the run so it was the best I could do."

"She didn't attack you?" she asked.

"She was running after Chuck."

"Poor Chuck! I hope he makes it out alive. Otherwise, it's just Tilly against us." Ally said.

"Maybe she'll get eaten by an alligator!" Austin joked.

"Hopefully. She seems hard to kill."

They stood in grim silence for a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chuck had narrowly evaded Tilly. He thought he was dead as soon as she started chasing him, but he had jumped over a large branch that she hadn't. This slowed her down, and soon he was out of her sight.

 _Ugh, he got away! This happens too much,_ she thought.

She walked the other way, stomping in frustration. Unfortunately for her, she didn't notice when she walked right into a swamp. And although Chuck's encounter with a swamp in the beginning of the competition was safe, that didn't mean that this would be safe for her.

"I hate being defeated! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" she shouted as she stomped in the mud.

She noticed that her backpack had a piece of fabric cut off. She checked her inventory, and she found that six knives and a spear were missing. Although she still had many knives left, this still irritated her.

"Who could have taken my knives? Chuck?" she asked herself, confused and annoyed.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an alligator's snapping jaws broke through the swampy water.

Tilly backed up in surprise. She didn't shout, but she knew that she was dead if the alligator decided to chase her. Luckily, it didn't. She sighed in relief. But that didn't mean that there weren't other alligators after her. And there were. She saw another pair of snapping jaws to her left, so she moved to the side. Unfortunately, this moved her deeper into the water.

As the alligators backed her farther into the swamp, she soon could no longer see land. All around her was swamp and alligators. She was trapped.

* * *

 **Author's note: Dun dun dun! Is Tilly going to die? Or will she escape? As of right now, even I don't know what's going to happen. I haven't decided yet.**

 **I hope you liked it! To everyone who is still reading, thank you! And feedback is always appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: did Tilly die? Did she escape? This chapter picks up where the last one left off.**

* * *

Tilly found herself in a bit of a situation. She was fully surrounded by water and alligators, and she couldn't even see land anymore. The swampy water was also getting deeper, and she didn't know how much longer she would be able to touch the ground. She was a fair swimmer, but no one could possibly swim away from mutant alligators. Not the fastest swimmer in the world.

 _Don't chase me, please,_ she thought.

There were alligators to her left and in front of her. So she slowly waded backwards, to her right. She could only hope that there were no alligators lurking in that direction. And there didn't seem to be, so she kept swimming slowly.

The alligators kept following her, but her idea was to swim all the way to the shore, then jump out of the water and make a run for it. It wasn't easy to outrun mutant alligators, but she had already done it once. She could only hope that she could do it again.

As she moved slowly in the water, a few more alligators appeared. Luckily, they weren't blocking her escape route, but it just added more pressure on her. After what seemed like an eternity, she reached the shore. The alligators surrounded her, except for the shore. It was now or never.

She jumped out of the water, and the alligators immediately followed suit. She ran as fast as she could into the forest, and some alligators went back into the water. Some followed her. As she ran, she grabbed a knife from her backpack, just in case. She ran all the way to Chuck's campsite, where he was cooking fish. He hadn't completely rebuilt his stone wall, so she could see him. And then she came up with another idea.

She ran into the area surrounded with stone, luring the alligators in. Then she ran, breaking through the other side of the stones.

Now Chuck was alone with the alligators. And they were hungry.

"Ahh! Here, take a fish!" he yelled, throwing a fish at the alligators.

However, there were several alligators, and they all had great appetites. Chuck threw fish one after another at the alligators, who ate quickly and endlessly. One fish, two fish. Red fish...he was out of fish. And the alligators were still hungry.

 _This is the end,_ he thought, _I'm going to be eaten by mutant alligators._

* * *

Tilly was still on the run. After her near-death encounter, she was feeling more than a bit insecure and vulnerable. When she passed Austin and Ally's campsite, she didn't even bother to attack them. She just ran past in a blur.

"Did Tilly just run past us?" Austin asked in bewilderment.

"Is there another blonde girl in this competition?" Ally replied.

"That's strange, she usually wouldn't hesitate to attack us." he thought aloud.

They sat in silence for a while, pondering the unusual sight. Tilly would usually try to sneak up on them and attack them, would she not? Ally was the first to come up with something.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "What if she set up some dangerous trap or something, or there's an alligator around?"

Austin was already wandering around the campsite, checking for traps and alligators. He looked around trees, under rocks, and all over the ground. She smiled. He was her partner, her best friend, her confidant. She trusted him with her life, and although they were just friends, she loved him more than any friend would.

"I don't see anything," he said, "but that doesn't mean there isn't anything. We should better be careful. I mean, you never know-"

Ally interrupted him. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything." he replied, confused.

"Don't you hear that screaming?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to say no, but then he realized that he _did_ hear screaming. It was very quiet, as if it was far away, but it was urgent and full of terror nonetheless. Suddenly, the screaming stopped.

"What was that?" she whispered, frightened.

"It was definitely a human scream," he said, "but if it wasn't you or me, it was Tilly or Chuck."

Ally shook her head.

"Tilly went the other way," she pointed out, "the scream was coming from the other direction."

"So it was Chuck." he concluded.

"Why would Chuck be screaming?" she asked.

"Attention, competitors." Jet Deely's voice rang out. "Chuck McCoy is dead. He has been eaten by a group of vicious, hungry alligators. That leaves three of you. Good luck, try to survive."

* * *

When Tilly heard that Chuck had died, she was relieved.

 _My plan worked,_ she thought, _now I only have to get rid of Austin and Ally, and then I will be the champion._

Although she had just escaped from an alligator encounter, she recovered quickly. She was back to her confident and ruthless self in no time, already plotting the ultimate demise for the singer-songwriter duo.

"Now, they're working together, so I might not be able to fight them in hand-to-hand combat." she thought aloud. "But I could definitely take down Ally alone easily, and Austin alone would be an easy target as well. But they're never alone by themselves, so I'll have to separate them. How could I do that?"

She paced around in the forest.

"I could sneak around their campsite until they're a little bit far apart, then attack Ally. Hopefully, I could get her before Austin notices. But he would notice for sure."

She sat down on a rock to think.

"I could try to throw knives at Austin, then take down Ally. But they might notice, and Austin might be able to dodge my knives. Then I would have even less!"

Deep in her thoughts, Tilly failed to notice the alligators creeping up on her. After all, she got away from them, and mutant alligators wanted to finish her off. They had already eaten Chuck, and they were still hungry. When she heard a growl behind her, she spun around to find the alligators behind her.

"Not again!" she cried, and grabbed a knife from her backpack.

The alligators kept advancing on her, and she realized that there was no way she could outrun all of them. One or two, maybe. There must have been at least ten, and they could easily get around her and trap her. Her only course of action could be to kill them all first. So she grabbed a few more knives.

Much to her dismay, she found that she only had eight knives left, and there were much more than eight alligators to kill. She would have to come up with a genius plan if she wished to survive. And she was stuck. She couldn't think of anything. Then she turned around and saw something that she couldn't believe was possible, but she was seeing it with her own eyes. Ally was off in the distance, behind the alligators, and she looked like she was ready to attack.

"Ally Dawson!" Tilly shouted.

That was her first mistake. The sudden loud noise brought the alligators immediately closer, close enough that they could tear her apart if they wanted to. Somehow, though, they didn't seem to want to. Tilly took this to mean that they didn't actually want to kill her.

That was her second mistake.

"What do you want?" she called to Ally.

The brunette in the distance only shrugged, and suddenly she was joined by her partner. So Tilly decided that she must start attacking the alligators. She threw one knife at the alligator closest to her, which succeeded in killing or at least injuring it. But that was her third mistake. The other alligators all advanced, and they started attacking her with their jaws.

She screamed. She was still throwing knives, however, and some alligators went down. But she was still being attacked by five alligators, and soon she could feel that she had definitely been injured in her legs. She tried to break free, but they held her firmly.

"Tilly's finally going down!" Austin breathed in awe.

"I didn't think this would ever happen," replied Ally.

Tilly heard none of this, she only heard the crash and clamber of the alligators attacking her and her desperate thrashing.

"I hate being attacked! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" she screamed, still trying to release herself from the alligators.

Only her legs were being attacked, but she was being torn apart viciously. She thought she might still have had a chance to get away, if she could only break free.

It was her last thought. One alligator released its jaws from her body, and went straight for her head. The effect was instantaneous. She died immediately.

Out in the distance, Ally was covering her face, refusing to look at the gruesome sight in front of her. Austin winced, and then he, too, looked away.

"Is she dead yet?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm not looking!" Ally replied.

They were both answered quite soon.

"Attention, attention." Jet Deely's voice cut through the air. "Tilly Thompson has died, leaving only Austin Moon and Ally Dawson. It's a fight to the death, you two. You're no longer allies. You're enemies."

* * *

 **Author's note: Tilly's finally dead, but only two remain! Who will win? What will happen? Only two more chapters remain!**

 **I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hope you liked it! If not, constructive criticism is always appreciated! :) (Maybe I should stop saying it and just leave it as an implication)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: this is the second-last chapter! What's going to happen? Austin and Ally are the only ones left! Keep reading, it gets intense!**

* * *

As soon as Austin took a step forward, Ally ran.

"Wait! Ally!" he cried. "I'm not trying to kill you! Didn't we already agree on that?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. Then she ran back to him.

"You're right. We're not going to kill each other. We're going to find a way out of this." she said.

Then she gave him a big hug, mostly to reassure herself that everything would be okay, that he wouldn't betray her.

"Ally, what are we going to do?" he asked.

"Well...maybe get away from those alligators?" she replied, pointing to the alligators that had just finished eating Tilly and began to turn around and face them.

Quickly and wordlessly, the duo began to run towards their campsite. They ran through the forest for about a mile when they saw that the alligators were no longer chasing them. They were simply heading back into the swamp. Austin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't want you to die, Austin." Ally said.

"I don't want you to die, either." he replied. "But how can we make it so that both of us make it out of here alive?"

"Is it even possible? I mean, how can we possibly get rid of the alligators so we won't have to sacrifice anyone?" she asked.

The two survivors stood in the forest, thinking of the possibilities.

"I've got nothing." Austin said sadly, after a few minutes.

Ally sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, if we can't do anything, why don't we play some music?" he suggested.

"Okay," she agreed, and took out her glockenspiel.

He began strumming some chords on his ukulele, and she started playing on her glockenspiel.

"I love the things you do, it's how you do the things you love!" he sang. "But it's not a love song, not a love song."

"I love the way you get me, but correct me if I'm wrong." she continued. "This is not a love song, not a love song."

"Hmm..." he wondered aloud. "This song doesn't really set the right mood for our situation right now. We need another song."

So he began to play some different chords on his ukulele, and pretty soon she was joining in in the instrumentation.

"Hey, I will always stay by your side forever." he sang.

"'Cause we're better together!" they sang in unison.

"Hey, there's no other way we'll make it through whatever." she sang.

"'Cause we're better together!"

"Ally, I just wanted to thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for." Austin said.

She smiled. "You're always there for me, Austin. We're better together."

"Partners and friends, always." he replied.

"Friends..." Ally repeated softly.

"What did you say?" Austin asked. "I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing..." she replied unconvincingly.

"Oh, I thought you said something." he told her.

"I mean, I like you, Austin!" she blurted. "But...but we're just friends, and one of us is probably going to die within the next day, anyways! I need to know, though, do you like me, too? As more than just a friend?"

Her expression was of worry and fear, but it was also evident that she really wanted an answer, whether it be positive or negative. Austin opened his mouth to reply, then screamed, his voice full of terror.

"What?" Ally asked.

"Ally...an alligator!" he cried.

She spun around, to see an alligator at her feet. It wasn't any ordinary alligator, though. It had deep brown eyes, and its menacing expression seemed vaguely reminiscent of someone very familiar. Tilly Thompson.

"How...what happened?" Austin asked, shocked.

Before Ally could say anything, she felt herself being knocked down viciously, and then she felt a searing pain in her arm. Then the alligator ran off into the forest.

"Ally!" Austin cried, bending down to her. "Are you okay?"

She didn't reply. She lay still on the ground, Austin next to her.

"Ally, please, are you okay?" he repeated, distressed.

She shook her head. "Aust...Austin, I think you're the winner." she whispered.

"No...no, Ally!" he cried.

"Austin...you didn't answer my question." she mumbled.

"Ally, I love you!" he sobbed. "I love you so much, please don't die! I'd do anything to keep you alive! Why did it have to be you and not me? Ally, I love you!"

She pulled him towards her with her only good arm. He wrapped her arms around her, tears rolling down his face.

"Ally..." he whispered.

Then he kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you, Austin." she whispered softly. "Promise me you'll never forget me."

"I'll never forget you, Ally." he whispered, his tears dripping down onto her face. "I love you."

He kissed her again, then she smiled weakly, closed her eyes, and went limp.

* * *

 **Author's note: One chapter remains :( I think it'll be pretty good, but we'll have to see. Don't worry, it's not as sad as this one.**

 **P.S. Sorry if it takes a while for me to update, I'm pretty busy these days so I don't have much time to write :(**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: this didn't take long to write, because it's so short, but it definitely turns the story around ;)**

* * *

 _"Ally, I love you!" he sobbed. "I love you so much, please don't die! I'd do anything to keep you alive! Why did it have to be you and not me? Ally, I love you!"_

 _She pulled him towards her with her only good arm. He wrapped her arms around her, tears rolling down his face._

 _"Ally..." he whispered._

 _Then he kissed her softly on the lips._

 _"I love you, Austin." she whispered softly. "Promise me you'll never forget me."_

 _"I'll never forget you, Ally." he whispered, his tears dripping down onto her face. "I love you."_

 _He kissed her again, then she smiled weakly, closed her eyes, and went limp._

* * *

"Tada!" Dez exclaimed as the screen faded out to black. "What did you think?"

" _That's_ the new movie you've been working on?" Trish snorted.

"Yeah!" he replied enthusiastically. "Don't you like it?"

"Isn't it a bit intense for a family film?" Austin asked.

"Yeah, and why did I have to die in the end?" Ally added.

"Where did you even get the footage?" Trish continued.

"Okay, so to answer those questions," Dez said, "it might be intense, but it's not very graphic."

They all rolled their eyes.

"And Ally, you died in the end because one of you had to, and I figured that you would have the lowest chance of surviving."

She started to protest, but he continued.

"And I got the footage from editing all of the videos I've ever taken. Isn't it great?"

Ally chuckled as she snuggled up to Austin.

"He did get one thing right," he said to her. "I love you, Ally."

"I love you too, Austin."

Although Tilly was never a murderer, nor did she get eaten by an alligator, nor did Miami ever get attacked by mutant alligators, there was one thing in Dez's movie that remained true to reality. It was the undying love of Miami's favorite singer-songwriter duo.

* * *

 **Author's note: Yay, Ally never died! :) I'm not really one for plot twists, but I really liked this idea. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!**


End file.
